Chlorine dioxide is a strong oxidizing agent. The bactericidal, algaecidal, fungicidal, bleaching, and deodorizing properties of chlorine dioxide are well known. Applications making use of such properties include, but are not limited to, oral care, wound care, hard surface cleansing or disinfection, treatment of fungal infections of toenail, fingernail, and/or skin, and the like.
Chlorine dioxide compositions for these diverse applications typically comprise additional components to provide additional properties or functions. Such properties or functions are influenced by the intended use of the composition. For instance, compositions intended for oral cosmetic and/or therapeutic applications can further comprise components that include, but are not limited to, sweeteners, flavorants, encapsulates, coloring agents and fragrances. Additional components for a composition intended for oral cosmetic and/or therapeutic use can include: antibacterial agents (in addition to chlorine dioxide), enzymes, malodor controlling agents (in addition to chlorine dioxide), cleaning agents, such as phosphates, antigingivitis agents, antiplaque agents, antitartar agents, anticaries agents such as a source of fluoride ion, antiperiodontitis agents, nutrients, antioxidants, surfactants, plasticizers, and the like. Components for a composition intended for topical disinfectant of a hard surface can include: fragrance, coloring agent such as a pigment or a dye, surfactants, effervescing agents, cleaning agents such as sodium lauryl sulfate, anti-corrosion agents, and the like. For topical disinfectant of a biological tissue, optional ingredients can include: fragrance, coloring agents, local anesthetics such as menthol, chloroform, and benzocaine, emollients or moisturizers, analgesics, UV absorbers, surfactants, plasticizers, cleaning agents such as sodium lauryl sulfate, antibacterial agents (in addition to chlorine dioxide), malodor controlling agents (in addition to chlorine dioxide), bioadhesive polymers such as polycarbophil, polyvinylpyrrolidone, or a mixture thereof.
Generally, each category of component contains numerous examples. For instance, sweeteners include aspartame, acesulfame potassium, sodium cyclamate, sodium saccharin dihydrate, sucralose, and sugar alcohols. Exemplary sugar alcohols include sorbital, xylitol, lactitol, mannitol, maltitol, hydrogenated starch hydrolysate, erythritol, reducing paratinose and mixtures thereof. Flavoring agents include, e.g., natural or synthetic essential oils, as well as various flavoring aldehydes, esters, alcohols, and other materials. Examples of essential oils include oils of spearmint, peppermint, wintergreen, sassafras, clove, sage, eucalyptus, marjoram, cinnamon, lemon, lime, grapefruit, and orange. Other flavoring agents include leaf alcohol, anethole, methyl salicylate, cassia, 1-8 methyl acetate, eugenol, oxanone, α-irisone, propenyl guaethol, thymol, and cinnamaldehyde glycerol acetal. Flavor agents also frequently comprise blends of individual flavor agents as well.
Fragrances include menthol, menthyl acetate, menthyl lactate, camphor, eucalyptus oil, eucalyptol, anethole, eugenol, cassia, oxanone, α-irisone, propenyl guaethol, thymol, linalool, benzaldehyde, cinnamaldehyde, N-ethyl-p-menthan-3-carboxamine, N,2,3-trimethyl-2-isopropylbutanamide, 3-(1-menthoxy)-propane-1,2-diol, cinnamaldehyde glycerol acetal (CGA), menthone glycerol acetal (MGA) and the like.
Coloring agents include, for example, organic and inorganic pigments and FD&C or D&C pigments and dyes approved by the FDA for use in the United States. Organic pigments are generally various aromatic types including azo, indigoid, triphenylmethane, anthraquinone, and xanthine dyes which are designated as D&C and FD&C blues, browns, greens, oranges, reds, yellows, etc., such as FD&C Blue No. 1, FD&C Green No. 3, FD&C Red No. 40, FD&C Yellow No. 5, D&C Orange No. 4, D&C Red No. 27, and D&C Violet No. 2. Inorganic pigments include iron oxides, ultramarines, chromium, chromium hydroxide colors, such as manganese violet, ultramarine blue, cosmetic red oxide, chromium green oxide, iron oxide yellow, and titanium dioxide, and mixtures thereof.
Surfactants known in the art include but are not limited to amphoteric surfactants, anionic surfactants, cationic surfactants and nonionic surfactants. Examples of amphoteric surfactants include propionates, alkyldimethyl betaines, alkylamido betaines, sulfobetaines, and imidazoline. Examples of anionic surfactants include fatty alcohol sulfates, alpha olefin sulfonates, sulfosuccinates, phosphate esters, carboxylates and sarcosinates. Examples of cationic surfactants include alkyl quaternaries, alylamido quaternaries, and imidazoline quaternaries. Examples of nonionic ionic surfactants include alkanolamides, ethoxylated amides, esters, alkoxylated alcohols, alkoxylated triglycerides, alkylpolyglucosides, amine oxides, sorbitan esters, and ethoxylates. Surfactants also include silicone surfactants such as dimethicone copolyols, alkyl dimethicone copolyols, silicone quaternary compounds, silicone phosphate esters, and silicone esters. Antitartar agents include but are not limited to, polyphosphates and salts thereof, polyamino propane sulfonic acid (AMPS) and salts thereof, polyolefin sulfonates and salts thereof, polyvinyl phosphates and salts thereof, diphosphonates and salts thereof, phosphonoalkane carboxylic acid and salts thereof, and polyphosphonates and salts thereof.
Thus, there are a myriad of possible additive types, with a plethora of examples for each type.
Chlorine dioxide, being a strong oxidizing agent, is a reactive molecule. Accordingly, chlorine dioxide can react with an additive in a composition. This unintended consequence causes the loss of chlorine dioxide, thus reducing the efficacy of the chlorine dioxide containing composition for its intended purpose. It can also lead to the generation of cytotoxic levels of oxy-chlorine anion in the composition, which is undesirable in compositions intended for contact with biological tissues.
Compositions comprising chlorine dioxide and additives that do not react with chlorine dioxide are needed. The present disclosure meets and addresses these needs.